Appetite/interest in food

[Nothing To Do With Doodles]

I would really like to get some feedback about my puppy’s eating habits. Maddy frequently skips meals or doesn’t finish an entire meal and I’m curious if this is something I should be concerned about or if this is just common among doodles? She also doesn’t show a whole lot of interest in her food which leads me to think maybe I should switch her to another brand...? (She is eating dry kibble, not wet food.) Maddy’s breeder said she doesn’t have a big appetite and just likes to graze and nibble all day long. But we have her eating 2 meals a day to help with house training.

What do you think? Any feedback would be so appreciated!

[Kai Doodle (Kathy & Keith)]

What do you feed her? How much and at what times? Is getting enough exercise? Is she tired when you feed her? Our experience with Kai is that he eats most of it and then we need to get it off the edges and bottom of the bowl and he will help himself to the rest of it. There are meals when he eats everything but food is not his first priority and he will walk away especially if he notices no one is keeping him company. (Kai eats Honest Kitchen with raw hamburger or chicken mixed in and cottage cheese with pumpkin or some other fruit mixed in, he is a big fan of bananas.)

[Nancy Sunderland]

Oh my goodness, Sable needs "company" next to her as well to eat, or she leaves her little eating spot to come follow me! (Maybe it's a Manor Lake thing!)

[Jane, Guinness and Murphy]

Based on the advice I got here on DK, I now try to make the kibble more interesting, and I rotate among two kinds. I just add a little chicken to his dinner or sometimes I just sprinkle a little parmesan cheese over it. For a real treat I mix in a little cottage cheese. In the morning he gets plain kibble which he picks at, but at night he gets the more interesting meal which he always eats and seems to really enjoy. When I was just giving him plain kibble he had the same reaction as Maddy.

[BetteB]

I agree with the other posts that you might want to try to make the food more appetizing. How old is she? Agnes was hesitant to eat her kibble while teething, so I wet it or mixed in canned food. Eventually she warmed up to the idea of eating, and now she eats great. Good luck!

[HANNAH 8/2/07 & HONEY 7/2/08]

Not sure what you are feeding her, you mentioned you are feeding twice a day, also how old is Maddy and size, this can play a factor in her eating and what is recommended from the manufacture of her food. If she is on a good quality food I wouldnt change foods, you can wind up with more problems. If she is under 6 months of age Vets usually recommend 3 meals a day, I would give her 3 smaller meals to make up for the two larger ones IF you can, and take a teaspoon of plain yogurt and mix it in with her food. The yogurt is great for her coat, and stomach, and might at first make her stools a little runny but that should clear up within a day or two. My dogs love yogurt and like to eat it also as a snack. Sometimes dogs like to let their stomachs empty out before eating again, Hannah will normally eat everyday, but there is always once in a great while where she won't eat sometimes for a day and than goes back to eating normal again. Winter time most dogs eat better because of the cold and the storage of fat's, where in the summer and the heat they lay off of their food intake.

[Tamara & Giada]

Unless the vet says your pup is underweight I wouldn't do anything. My LD is picky too and some days won't eat at all. I leave it out and she'll eat when she's hungry. I would be careful of the cheese, my sister gave her dog cheese on her food and now has kidney stones and the vet said that is what probably cause it.

[Barbara Burrows]

Abby eats the same way, she doesn't get excited about food. Her vet said she is healthy and not to worry about her. She will skip meals and occasionally not eat anything for a day. I tried changing brands and always go back to the ones I had her on. She will eat EVO or Merrick BG (before grain) I have also tried adding things to her food and she still eats the same amount.

Molly is the opposite, she always eats everything.....

[Nancy Sunderland]

Sable also has a meandering appetite. I do three main "offerings" throughout the day, and usually only the breakfast one gets polished off likity split, the others tend to sit around, oh well. I guess like children, they'll eat when they're hungry! But we have also had more accidents than I'd like... Not her fault really, I'm just busy and forget to take her out...

[Joanne ~ Spud*]

Spud is 9 months old. For the first 4 months I sat on the kitchen floor and feed him by hand! " Eat doodle, it's time to eat and get real big" I would say. Not too spoiled, eh?

I thought he was a Snakedoodle. He was always so skinny. He is now, finally gaining weight, but still it a particular eater. I was used to labs who stole your pizza and then ate the box too.

We do allow him to graze. Now he eats a lot one day, and skips the next two. Don't worry. I read many posts that say the same thing. IMO, I think it is a doodle thing.

[Allyson, Peri & Taquito]

I never add anything to my dogs kibble. They eat when they are hungry...sometimes they are picky, sometimes not. Don't worry too much if your vet is not worried. But, you may want to change the kibble. My doodle is not picky, but my chihuahua is. He HATED Blue Buffalo.

[Allyson, Peri & Taquito]

She can eat some of the adult foods now...check out some discussions in the food group on that. My 5 1/2 month old is eating Fromms along with my 5 1/2 year chihuahua. It is an all life stages food. I just know some recommend feeding puppy food for a large breed dog. But Peri is a mini.

[Maryann,Roo and Tigger]

As long as Maddy is otherwise healthy, don't worry or watch her at all. Dogs eat when and how much they need to eat if their humans don't make a fuss. Most dogs will eat everything in sight, but some dogs occasionally take a day or a meal off. All dogs will do this, not just doodles. If your puppy is used to two meals a day I really would not recommend returning to three. In fact I would feed a little less food at each meal until Maddy is eating it right up in 10 minutes or less. Then gradually increase until you hit that balance point where she is eating regularly and not leaving anything.

Changing food, adding interesting food etc, fussing, watching, coaxing, all of these will contribute to eating problems. Won't hurt the dog much, confuse her a little maybe, but you better be ready to do it the rest of her life. Plenty of water and exercise and attention at none eating times and just plain old kibble will keep her healthy and happy.


If she starts to loose a noticeable amount of weight, take her to the vet before you start messing around with her food.